THE AGONIST – Birds Elope With The Sun

Air like water, water like stone, birds elopes with the sun.
A velvet quietus furtively draped over ears
Quartz underfoot and crystalline opal tears
Welcoming webs of gasping despair
Nival anphora textures the air
Anamnesis waltzes through…
The windows, shut tight, and the fires are fueled…
Reminding naÏveté of its magnitude’s inferiority.
Skyward stretching arms become thin and weak.
Bony fingers comb the clouds then curl into fists, admitting defeat.
Blood concedes to gravity’s pull, leaving hollow skeletons all erect, perforating the skyline — an impenetrable cage… like skin drawn tight, and canvas cracked with age.
Escapist flights and lengthy nights as some succumb and slumber awakes…
Faces count minutes ‘til noon — solar ghosts come kiss the moon goodnight — grey memories for now.
A thousand families, down, will fall.
Nival tears bury them all!
Like absconding tides, birds elope with the sun.
A barren desert soaked in bleach
A sickly pallor and opal touch
Hallucinating, shattered glass falls as the atmosphere cracked and we are invaded by emptiness black.
The brain keeps the body company.
The continent is a new born, trying to breathe.
Accepting his fate and falling asleep, the child is a woman, resting in peace.
Accepting the sleep as a blackness forcing its way in and pushing air out through heavy lungs…
And heavy are the clouds that reach so deep and smother the land in a heavy shroud.
Eyes press closed and words are now visible.
The sky is an eggshell waiting to hatch.
The ground is the air, the wind, the trees, the Earth, the water, the fire…
Sculptors working the clay, carving angels and gargoyles, and columns as pixies dance to appease the leaves.
Faces that once turned to catch the light, frown and turn desperately down towards darkness.
Float to the stiff, grey Earth.

THE AGONIST – Anxious Darwinians

Halted embryogenesis at the birth of second thought, creating before acting to stay safelyat the start. Textbook nebulse authentical the World Order’s end. But we dictate through creation just how, where and when. The sound of self-severed limbs. Broken joints on cold steel links. Impossible havens harbor them. Damp floors carve swollen skin. The long-sought elusive passage keys! Where once was a door, now stands a wall. Concrete beds prevent digging deep. Leonine threats behind bamboo stalks.

And anxious Darwinians frantically self-analyse,
too ultimately aware to trust anyone or anything alive.
Toxic, parasitic ideas hijack our minds.
Mimetically commandeered to include the suicide.

The privacy of experience. The illusion of focus.
The future is anticipated memory. The virulence of idea.
Vanitas on aged pages, copper violin.
Incumbent phrenology to drain you of your doubt.
Don’t call my landscape a plane, you increate egoist!
You’re merely a hallucination of my own Atmas!
Volition decides the future as the authors all agree,

Impatiently arranging for evolution’s recrudescence. Visual receptors are undeniably unique in a closed Cartesian Theater, body anchored to the seat. Pressuposed conclusions, methodic doubt. An escaped res cogitans flees to an inter-subjective world. Passive beliefs bridge the chasm, mind pregnant at birth. The danger, dear empiritic is that to which Narcissus succumbed, and still do, some. Fountainshead, automatons. To subordinates genetic interest is ultimately human! Rampant self-awareness in your invisible Hands means everything is fickle, subject to your shape and shade. How will you, dear eremite program your semaphore? Self-preservation is subject to an emotional homunculus. And anxious Darwinians frantically self-analyse, too ultimately aware to include the suicide.

THE AGONIST – …And Their Eulogies Sang Me To Sleep

All I heard was the sound of fish who’d drowned.
All I saw was the inside of my eyelids.
All I said fell short of reaching open ears.
Word’s floating, clouding the view…
“See no, hear no, speak no evil” leave you deaf, dumb and blind, because the bad is all that you’ll find.
A deeply heart-felt goodbye to the part of me that dies when I decided to put others before me, yes, my heart fell asleep — boredom and fatigue.
I always said I wanted to die smiling, to pretend I’m at peave.
Now from my corpse beams a frigid, blank grin and once hopeful eyes are sunken in.
Like a lullaby to the cradle is the eulogy to the casket.
All my flaws swept under the table to grieve the porcelain doll that was me.
Their solemn songs sang me to sleep as my body escaped me.
Welcome down to the new world!
Happiness is being interred!
Such a shameful masquerade!
Fleeting, frozen minutes on display.
Why is evolution such a shameful thing to say?
Can you feel your bodily decay?
Arms are beside me, hands open wide.
Seems I was living my life in rewind, taking so many steps backwards, not looking behind.
Because I can sure as hell feel my brain going blank.
If my body betrays me, this pollution to thank.
This condition infects my cells like it controls my mind.
Internal army, defend me behind enemy lines!
Fragile vehicle of mine!
Don’t abandon me yet!
There is so much to live for that we so easily forget.
Fascination with the fear…
The concept escapes me.
All encompassing fate… how it wrenches out hearts, torments our souls ans sings us all to sleep, to an eternal keep, no matter what beliefs, it sings us all…

THE AFTERS – You

My heart is as frail as a dove
And my spirit is as weak as a rose
See my sorrow, feel my pain
You’re my refuge, You’re my reason,
My strength in this beautiful place
That’s where I find God

[Chorus:]
You’re in my heart, You’re in my soul
You are my heaven, You’re my home
You’re my best friend, You’re my true love
You are my treasure, You’re my God

I watch as the mountains fall down
And the rivers part at Your feet
Your creation sings Your praise
Even winds obey and angels bow down
At Your beautiful voice
That’s where I find God

[Repeat Chorus]

You’re in my heart, You’re in my soul
You are my heaven, You’re my home
You’re my best friend, You’re my true love
You are my treasure, You’re my hope
You are my peace, You are my joy
You are my Savior, You’re my God

THE AFTERS – Wait

Wait
Wait, I can hardly wait
To look into Your face
When the world disappears into Your eyes
Wait, I can hardly wait
To hear Your sweet voice say
You’ve done well, my good and faithful son
Breathe, I can hardly breathe
In anticipation
Waiting for the day to come
When You will shine on me
Wait, I can hardly wait
To bow down at Your feet
Kiss the scars that bore my sins away
I can hardly breathe
In anticipation
Waiting for the day to come
When You will shine on me
Wait, I can hardly wait

THE AFTERS – We Won’t Give Up

Everywhere, everyday
All we hear is, all we hear is
Wait, it’s not your time
Just get back in line

And they can try to knock us down
We’ve got our feet nailed to the ground
If you want to count us out, go ahead
But it’s not over yet

We won’t back down
We’ve gotta take our best shot
Give it all we got now
We won’t back down
They say we’ll never make it
But we’re gonna take it all the way

We won’t give up, we won’t give up
We won’t give up, we won’t give up

With the clock running down
We’re gonna leave our fears and failures all behind
This is our time
We’ll reach till we touch the sky

We won’t back down
We’ve gotta take our best shot
Give it all we got now
We won’t back down
They say we’ll never make it
But we’re gonna take it all the way

We won’t give up, we won’t give up
We won’t give up, we won’t give up
We won’t give up, we won’t give up
We won’t give up, we won’t give up

We won’t hold back and we won’t slow down the pace
We wont let go and we won’t call off the chase

We won’t back down
We’ve gotta take our best shot
Give it all we got now
We won’t back down
They say we’ll never make it
But we’re gonna take it all the way

We won’t give up, we won’t give up
We won’t give up! We won’t give up!
We won’t give up, we won’t give up
We won’t give up! We won’t give up!
We won’t give up, we won’t give up
They say we’ll never make it
But we’re gonna take it all the way
We won’t give up!

THE AFTERS – We Are The Sound

Now is the time we have
Take it, never give it back
Say what you mean to say
This could be your only chance

Everybody’s watching out
For someone who can show them how
To be what they wanna be and
Stand never backing down

Here we are
Here we are

We are the sound
We are the siren
We’re all around
And we won’t stop singing it out

Shout it out
Like you believe it
We’ll break it down
When we all start singing it out
Shout it out now

Silence is an enemy
That keeps us from the things we need
It ages but it never grows
So quiet that we start to bleed

Lets shake it off and let it go
Forgetting what we think we know
We’ll make it all a memory
We’re taking back control

THE AFTERS – Tonight

Time after time I’m reminded that I fall apart
When I run away from you
Even when every mistake
Leaves me broken and bruised
I can hold on to you

Tonight, tonight we’re gonna put it all, put it all behind
Tonight, tonight we’re gonna make it all, make it alright
We’ll be who we want to be tonight

Why do I feel like a space
That just waits to be filled
Looking for something new
When ours is love that is already perfect and I know I belong to you

When tomorrow comes we’re gonna feel alive
Somehow forget about the tears we cried
There’s so much more we have to gain than we could ever lose

THE AFTERS – The Way You Are

Until You came I was just the same
As everybody else
Whoever saw the light and turned away

You love me now
You loved me then
And every now and then
You show me how it would be if I’d gone the other way

After all this time I’ve come to find my soul’s fragility
But You’ve rectified my frailty by your strength

It’s like the sun swallowed up by the earth
Like atomics bombs in reverse
As if a glass could contain the sea
That’s the way You are in me
That’s the way You are

Now here I stand looking back
To the way things used to be
But I will never be alone again

You’re with me
And now I see
What it means to me
To be a part of such a mystery

After all this time I’ve come to find my soul’s fragility
But You’ve rectified my frailty by your strength

It’s like the sun swallowed up by the earth
Like atomics bombs in reverse
As if a glass could contain the sea
That’s the way You are in me
That’s the way You are

THE AFTERS – The Secret Parade

Don’t try to lose us cause it’s right where you’ll find us
Don’t try to bruise us cause it’s right where you bleed
Don’t call me a stranger, we’re your brothers and sisters
Try to refuse when it’s just what you need

Here tomorrow, gone today
We’re a part of the secret parade
Here tomorrow, gone today
We’re a part of the secret parade

THE AFTERS – Thank God I’m Not The One

How could You walk when You went down that dusty street
How could You speak when all your friends checked out
How could You love after the great betrayal
How could You reach out when they nailed You down

[Chorus:]
True as true can be
That’s what they say You are to me when I’m so fake
Does Your heart ache
If I had been the one I would not have been that strong
If I had been the one, yeah, I’d have been long gone

How could You hang on with Your mama crying
How could You keep on breathing in and out
How could You watch while Your whole world was dying
Did it all happen cause we let You down

[Repeat Chorus]

And all the things we think of as eternal would come undone
All I have to say is when I’m praying
Is “Thank God I’m not the One”

THE AFTERS – Summer Again

I’m watching the green give into gold
As summer becomes October’s cold
Gravity begs
For one final kiss
She drops it to him, as she gives in

Traces of light, linger around
As laces of white fall to the ground
The softest of sounds for the heaviest things
And the pain that it brings

As she falls I try to catch her
For one last touch of warmth from summer
As one thing leaves to becomes another again
I remember when

Don’t remember the day, she started to fade
The ground felt a chill as she gave it away
A whisper – a sigh, for the time that she passed
But this winter won’t last

As she falls I try to catch her
For one last touch of warmth from summer
As one thing leaves to becomes another again
I remember when
Oh to be with summer again

The days were warm and we wore them like skin
Now I feel the effects of October again

As she falls I try to catch her
For one last touch of warmth from summer
As one thing leaves to becomes another again
I remember when
Oh to be with summer again

I’m watching the green give in to gold
As summer becomes Octobers cold

THE AFTERS – Start Over

The impossible is possible
But your fear is so responsible
For keeping you down
Keeping you down.

Your unreachable is reachable
But you’ll never grab
The wonderful
with your feet on the ground
Your feet on the ground

If you fall on your face
Don’t just leave it to fate
No such thing as too late
It’s not too late

To start over, start over, start over
Start over, start over, start over
You never have what you want to lose
So pick it up, up, up
Dust off your shoes
Start over, start over, start over
Start over, start over, start over
You’ve gotta find, find, find the other side,
So give it one, one, one more try.
Start over

You only fail
If you never try
You’ll never live
Tryin’ not to die.
I’m telling you now, I’m telling you now.
Don’t ever stop,
Give all you’ve got
Don’t hesitate, to take a shot
It all comes around, it all comes around.

If you fall on your face
Don’t just leave it to fate
No such thing as too late
It’s not too late

To start over, start over, start over
Start over, start over, start over
You never have what you want to lose
So pick it up, up, up
Dust off your shoes
Start over, start over, start over
Start over, start over, start over
You’ve gotta find, find, find the other side,
So give it one, one, one more try.
Start over

There’s so much, so much left to gain
There’s so much, so much to lose
You’ll never know until know until you make a move.

If you fall on your face
Don’t just leave it to fate
No such thing as too late
It’s not too late

To start over, start over, start over
Start over, start over, start over
You never have what you want to lose
So pick it up, up, up
Dust off your shoes
Start over, start over, start over
Start over, start over, start over
You’ve gotta find, find, find the other side,
So give it one, one, one more try.
Start over

Start over, start over, start over
Start over, start over, start over
Start over

THE AFTERS – Someday

Ready or not the years are blurring
Running away the mind is turning
Skip to the end to find the meaning
Thoughts are fading, yet I wonder still
Like it or not your eyes are open
Playing around, the circles going
Face of a child, your mind is old
The clock ran down before I could begin

[Chorus:]
I wish we all could win
I wish we all could smile
I wish we all could make our mothers proud

Want it or not you just can’t leave it
Throw it away, I can’t believe it
Walking for days, I know you’ll see that
Times are changing, soon we’ll be the same

[Repeat Chorus]

[Bridge:]
Someday, someday, someday
You’ll come around
Someday, someday, someday
Your time will come
There’s nothing more that I can do
I know we all can make it through
I hope that someday you will see

[Repeat chorus and bridge]

THE AFTERS – Say It Now

Can we work this out
I don’t want to close the door
Before the sun goes down
We can’t let this go to far
I’ll do anything
To meet you anywhere you are
Cause it doesn’t matter anymore
Who was right or wrong
If we could only find the words we lost
Before what we have is gone

Say it now, I hope we find a way
To say it now, don’t be afraid
To say it now, everything we’re keeping inside
Don’t wait just let your heart speak
Don’t waste another heart beat
Cause we’ll never know
Until we let it out, let it out
Say it say it now
Say it say it now

My heart is wearing thin
I don’t want to fight a war
That no ones going to win
All this time we’ve grown apart
Looking for an end
If I’m the one that’s holding on
Holding back
Here’s how we begin

Say it now, I hope we find a way
To say it now, don’t be afraid
To say it now, everything we’re keeping inside
Don’t wait just let your heart speak
Don’t waste another heart beat
Cause we’ll never know
Until we let it out, let it out
Say it say it now
Say it say it now

I hope we leave it all behind
No more getting lost between the lines

Can we work this out
I don’t want to close the door
Before the sun goes down

Say it now, I hope we find a way
To say it now, don’t be afraid
To say it now, everything we’re keeping inside
Don’t wait just let your heart speak
Don’t waste another heart beat
Cause we’ll never know
Until we let it out, let it out
Say it say it now
Say it say it now

Cause we’ll never know
Until we let it out, let it out
Say it say it now

THE AFTERS – Saving Grace

Like a man on a wire
I balance between
A heart filled with desire
A head that knows everything
Somewhere out in the middle
You found me

I’ve got one foot in the clouds
One foot on the ground
You keep me steady somehow
Keep me from looking down
Somewhere out in the middle
You found me

Falling into you
Is safe and sound
You open up my eyes
I see it now

You’re my saving grace
You’re my saving grace
I run to my hiding place
My saving grace

My life hangs on a string
But I’m not afraid
I feel your love down below me
If it starts to break
Somewhere out in the open
You found me

Falling into you
Is safe and sound
You open up my eyes
I see it now

You’re my saving grace
You’re my saving grace
I run to my hiding place
My saving grace
My saving grace

Carry me now
On your shoulder
I won’t look down
Pull me closer

Carry me now
On your shoulder
I won’t look down
Pull me closer
Pull me closer

You’re my saving grace
You’re my saving grace
I run to my hiding place
My saving grace
My saving grace

THE AFTERS – Runaway

Hear your voice on the phone
And my heart just died when you said you’re not going home
Where are you, are you safe?
Are you trying to escape from what you can’t undo?
Hoping that the world forgets you
But I can’t, no I won’t forget you

I know you’re out there tonight
Looking for somewhere to hide
Hey, hey, hey
You don’t have to runaway
You’re hanging over the edge
It’s not too late to look back
Hey, hey, hey
You don’t have to runaway

Everywhere that you turn
Somehow every face is another bridge that you burn
So you fade, you can’t stay
If you can find another life in another place
And hope the world forgets your name
But I can’t, no I won’t forget you

I know you’re out there tonight
Looking for somewhere to hide
Hey, hey, hey
You don’t have to runaway
You’re hanging over the edge
It’s not too late to look back
Hey, hey, hey
You don’t have to runaway

You think you lost it all
And there’s nothing left of you
There’s nowhere you can fall
But love will catch you, (Love will catch you)
But love will catch you, (Love will catch you)
Love will catch you, (Love will catch you)

I know you’re out there tonight
Looking for somewhere to hide
Hey, hey, hey
You don’t have to runaway
You’re hanging over the edge
It’s not too late to look back
Hey, hey, hey
You don’t have to runaway

Hey, hey, hey…
Hey, hey, hey…
You don’t have to runaway

You think you’ve lost it all…
You think you’ve lost it all…
You don’t have to runaway
You don’t have to runaway
(You think you’ve lost it all)
You don’t have to runaway…

THE AFTERS – One Moment Away

Wake up and smile
Put on a tie
Walk to the car
And wave goodbye
Radio on
You’re singing along
It’s all gonna change but how could you know

You’re one moment away
One chance left to take
And you’re gone
Are they gonna remember you for running away
Or saving the day from the darkness
And letting your love shine through
What will you do
You’re one moment away

Eyes are on you
The pressure is on
Where will you stand when the lines have been drawn
The clocks have all stopped, the story’s been told
This is your life, so how will it show

No you can’t pretend that forever
Will never come knocking at your door

Run through the flames
Never look back
What did you think that you came here for

THE AFTERS – Ocean Wide

Look outside
It’s already light and the stars ran away with the night
Things we’re said, words that we’ll try forget,
it’s so hard to admit I know we’ve made mistakes
I see through all the tears but that’s what got us here

[Chorus:]
If love is an ocean wide
We’ll swim in the tears we cry
They’ll see us through to the other side
We’re gonna make it
When love is a raging sea
You can hold on to me
We’ll find a way tonight
Love is an ocean wide

I’ll stay right here
It’s where I’ll always belong
Tied with your arms
Days like this, I wish the sun wouldn’t set
I don’t want to forget
What made us feel this way
You see through all my fears
And that’s what got us here

[Chorus]

Love is an ocean wide enough to forget
Even when we think we can’t

THE AFTERS – Never Going Back To OK

It’s not the end
But it feels like it is
I’m waking up
Like I’m back from the dead
I’m stepping out
And I feel so afraid
But as long as I’m moving it’s all right

I feel alive
And it hurts for a change
And looking back and it’s hard to believe
That I was cool
With the days that I wasted complacent and tasteless and bored but
That was yesterday

We’re never going back to OK
We’re never going back to easy
We’re never going back to the way it was
We’re never going back to OK

This discontent
Like a slap in the face
Of mediocre
I’ve had enough of this place
This party’s over
And I’m moving away from the frills of you Beverly Hills but that was yesterday

We’re never going back to OK
We’re never going back to easy
We’re never going back to the way it was
We’re never going back to OK

We’re here to stay
This is our time
Our only life
Our chance to live

We’re never going back to OK
We’re never going back to easy
We’re never going back to the way it was
We’re never going back to OK